Page 4 of Dragon Thief of New York
“Home! I’m going home.” Kat stomps her foot. From anyone else the action might look childish, but from Kat it comes off as powerful and demanding.
“You’re not.” Our king’s voice is clear and definitive. Midas has never minced words, and it’s rare for anyone to stand up to him when he uses that tone.
More smoke pours from Kat’s mouth, accompanied by a lick of flame. Her hand flies up to cover her lips, a look of panic making her eyes wide. It’s clear she’s seconds away from an involuntary shift, on the edge of losing control.
I wish I could comfort her. But she’s not mine to take care of anymore. She’s Otto’s.
Otto lifts his arms like he’s going to pull her into a hug. Kat flinches away. I place my hand on Otto’s shoulder to stop him. His eyes plead for me to do something. One part of me wants to punch him for putting her in this situation. Another wants to pull him into my arms and tell him everything’s going to be okay.
Instead, I turn my attention to Midas. “How about Otto and I take Kat back to her place and explain everything to her there?”
I don’t know why I’m inserting myself into this. It’ll only make things harder. She’s not mine anymore. She gave up that claim. Even if I never can.
“Which one of you is Otto?” Kat asks, gaze swinging around the small group gathered in a semicircle.
“I am.” Otto raises his hand tentatively like a scolded boy in school. Guilt shadows his normally cheerful features as he nervously twirls his lip ring with his tongue.
I squeeze his shoulder. I can’t blame him for what he did. It was damn hard for me not to do the same. After she told me she didn’t want to be my mate, I circled her building for hours, trying to decide what to do, contemplating stealing her right out the window. I didn’t. But when I finally wore myself out, I slept on her roof for a week because it was too painful to be apart from her.
“You two don’t leave her side,” Midas commands. “She clearly wasn’t prepared for this, and she won’t know how to control her transformation or… what comes with it.”
Hot smoke pours from Kat’s nose again even though she’s got her hands over her face to cover it. “I don’t want him,” she jabs a finger toward Otto, “anywhere near me.”
The crestfallen look on Otto’s face is like a punch to my gut. His head hangs so low he’s almost bowed over.
“He stays with you.” Midas crosses his arms. “He’s your mate.”
“What the hell does that mean?!” Scales pop up on Kat’s neck and face.
We need to get her out of here and somewhere comfortable where she can relax as she listens to us explain. I’m surprised she hasn’t completely lost it already after what she’s been through.
“I’ll explain everything.” I hold my hand out to her, but she just stares at it.
Kat points at Jeslyn, who looks like she’s about to be sick. “Why can’t she be the one to explain?”
Jeslyn looks at Midas, an unspoken question in her eyes.
“No.” Midas wraps his arms around his wife and pulls her back against his chest.
“Why not?” Kat asks.
“Yeah, why not?” Jeslyn echos. I don’t know her well, but she comes off as the type who’s always caring for others and feeling responsible for them too. I don’t doubt she’s concerned for Kat and wants to make sure she’s okay.
Midas’s features soften as he looks down at his wife. “I need you here for the dance, my treasure.”
Jeslyn melts into his embrace as if she’s completely forgotten about the rest of us. They’ve been together for a while now, butit’s still strange to see our king soften like that. He’s never that way with anyone else.
“What dance?” Kat asks.
Tonight is the last night of Goddess Week. A time when the entire horde gathers to dance and celebrate. It’s a sacred time. And this dance will be even more important since this is the first Goddess Week since the Gold and Silver Hordes combined.
“How about we get you home, and I’ll explain the dance, too?” I suggest.
“Fine,” Kat grumbles. “But you’re not off the hook. I want an explanation.”
With my hand on her back, I lead Kat out of the temple. She doesn’t resist or pull away, and it feels like a gift. The touch is innocent, but my thoughts aren’t. This is the first time I’ve touched her in years, and it stirs up memories of having my hands on every inch of her full body.
Kat leans into my touch, and I have to start doing complex math in my head to keep my dick under control.
